Mail-crane



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 M. J. GROSZ.

MAIL CRANE.

No. 529,071. I wPatented Nov. 13,1894;

.igacglr (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

M. J. GROSZ.

MAIL CRANE.

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1H: mums wnzns ca. Pumoumu. WASHINGTON n c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEMARTIN J. GROSZ, OF EMPORIA, KANSAS.

MAIL-GRAN E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 529,071, dated November13, 1894.

Application filed May 19,1894. Serial No. 511,821. (No model.)

To all whom it mcty concern:

Be it known that I, MARTINJ. GROSZ, acitizen of the United States,residing at Emporia, in the county of Lyon and State of Kansas, haveinvented a new and useful Mail-Crane, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to an improvement in those mail cranes which areprovided with means for holding the attached bag away from the trackprior to the catching operation, and for moving it into the reach of the.catcher directly prior to the operation of catchingit; and theprimaryobject of the invention is to provide superior means for sooperating the bag, and means which will be operated by adetent on theapproaching train.

A further object is to provide an improved hook for connecting the mailbag to the crane, and the attainment of both will be apparent upon anunderstanding of the invention.

A still further object is to so construct the detent on the train thatit will he automatically putin'to position to engage the trip, upon theraising of the catching hook, and similarly set at rest when the hook isreturned.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 represents a perspective View ofa section of a railroad having my improvements applied. Fig. 2 is aperspective view of a car supplied with my detent mechanism. Fig. 3 isan enlarged detail of the trip, the casing being broken away. Fig. 4 isa cross-section thereof. Fig. 5 is an enlarged View of the leversforreleasing the upper arm or jib of the crane. Fig. 6 is a similar View ofthe rod for operating said upper arm, the chain of the rod being shownattached. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective of the hook for holding thebag, the device being shown upside down. Fig. 8 is a detail of thedevices for connecting the catching hook and the detent. of the quadrantfor raising the detent. Fig. 10 is a similar view of the detent proper.Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the devices for supporting the detent.Fig. 12 is a detailperspective of the devices for revolubly mounting themast.

The reference numerall indicates the track, and 2 the car, both of whichmay be of any kind. t g

r 3 indicates the mast ofthecrane, which is Fig. 9 is a detailpreferably formed of tubular metal and revolubly supported. by thebraces 4.. These are attached at their upper ends to the mast, by theloose collar 5, and project outwardly and downwardly to the posts 6, towhich they are secured by any suitable means. By these means the mastmay be revolved in its bearings when it is struck by the train and is indanger of being broken.

40 indicates a second collar, which is fixed to the mast and bears uponthe collar 5, whereby the said rotary movement is allowed. Formed on thecollar 40 are the outwardly and downwardly inclined studs 0 which areadapted to lie one on each side of the arm b of the collar 5. By thesemeans themast is held incapable of rotary movement, except when greatforce is applied to it. Then the inclined studs will raise the mast soas to disengage the studs and arm I). The lower end of the mast 3 isbraced by means of the yoke 7, which is formed with the semicircularportion 8 adapted to partially embrace the mast and secured theretobybolting or otherwise, while its ends are bent to form the lugs 9. Tothis yoke the arms 10 are secured, and from here the arms extend to twoof the braces 4, to which they are secured.

Pivoted one to each of the 1ugs9 are the two levers 11, which extenddownwardly to a point near the ground, where they are con nected to thewires or cords 12. The wires or cords 12 extend toward the track andpass respectively over the pulleys 13, which are journaled to the plate14, secured, in turn, to the cross-ties of the track 1. From the pulleys13 the cords 12 extend in opposite directions along the track to thetrips 15. These are shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and consist of the blocks17, bolted to the cross-ties, and provided with thetransverselyextending passage 18. In this passage the shaft 19 is 'thetrips proper.

59 indicates a spring which is attached to the arms 20 and to the hook60*, which is, in

turn, secured to the block 17. By this means the arms 21 are given atendency which will keep them from moving toward the line of ropes 12.

Arranged to fit over the block 17, and to protect its attachments fromthe action of the weather, is the casing '22, which is constructed intwo sections, so as to permit its easy adjustment, and is secured. inplace by the bolts 23, which pass downwardly and into the cross-ties.This casing is formed of two sections joined at the line a, whereby theymay be easily placed in position. The cable 12 passes out the casing byway of the opening (.1. It will be understood that it is necessary tolet the arm 21 project above the easing so as to engage the detentmechanism.

From the lugs 9 the levers 11 extend upwardly parallel with the mast,and are provided at their upper ends with the eyes 24. Pivotally mountedin the fork 25 of the up per extremity of the mast is the main arm orjib 27 of the crane, which arm extends at right angles to the track, andis provided at its rear end with the eye 26. This eye forms the pivotalconnection between the arm 27 and the rod 70, which extends through thespring 69 and is connected to its lower end. Passing through the springand connected thereto at the remaining end thereof is the rod 28,whereby the rod 28 is connected to the mast and provided with acushioned connection. The rod 28 extends downwardly and inwardly towardthe mast, and is provided at its lower end with the eye 29. The eye 29is adapted to engage the rear end of the pin 30, and is provided with achain 31, terminating in an eye 32,which is adapted to engage with thefront end of the pin 30.

The pin extends horizontally through the mast, so that one end willoccur on each side. The eyes 24 of the levers 11 are adapted to embracethe chain 31, as shown in Fig. 1, so that when the upper ends of thelevers swing outwardly the eye 29 will be disengaged from the pin 30,leaving the eye 29 of the chain 31 engaged with the forward end of thepin 30. The front end of the arm 27 is provided with the bag supportingand retaining device 33, which consists of a stud 34 projectingoutwardly from the extremity of the arm and having the spring-finger 35arranged above it. The finger 35 is secured to the arm by means of theband 36, which embraces the arm and finger and holds the two together,while the free end of the finger is bent downwardly so as to project aslight distance past the end of the stud 34, and in engagementtherewith. The lower face of the stud 34 is beveled or inclined at 37,so as to permit the ring of the bag to be sprung over the end of thestud and under the finger.

Formed on the finger 35, and projecting downwardly therefrom, is thehook 38 which operates to hold the ring of the bag when the arm 27 hasbeen moved down. Thus it will be seen that the bag may be hung on thehook 38 when the arm 27 is lowered, and when the arm is raised the bagwill drop upon the stud 34 and be held thereon by the spring-finger. Allof this will, however, be described more fully later on. i

39 indicates the lower arm of the crane, which is pivoted to the mast bymeans of the aforesaid band 40. The arm 39 is of a length equal to thelength of the forward arm of the lever 27, and is provided with abag-securing device 40, which is of a construction similar to the device33, the only difference being that the spring-finger is disposed on thelower side of the stud, and that the hook 38 is dispensed with, sincethe hook would be of no use.

The detent for operating the trips 15 is attached to the mail crane, andthe detent mechanism consists of a horizontal and longitudinal shaft 41,extending along the lower side of the car-door and to a pointabovethenearest wheel of one of the trucks. This shaft is journaled in thebrackets 42, and provided with the operating rod 43, connected theretoby the crank-arm 65. This rod 43 extends upwardly alongside the car-doorframe to a point just below the catching hook 60.

The upper end of the rod 43 is provided with a transversely-extendingopening, which is adapted to permit pivotally connecting the rod to thecrank-arm 62 of the revoluble shaft 61. The shaft 61 is revolublysecured to the body of the car by means of the box 63, while it isconnected to the hook by means of the spindle and socket device 64 andlinchpin 64. Thus it will be seen that the shaft 41 will be oscillatedon its bearings in unison with the oscillations of the shaft which supports the hook 60, and all for a purpose hereinafter described. Fixed tothe shaft 41, just over the wheel to which it extends, is the quadrant44, which is adapted to turn with the shaft and provided with the curvedgrooved face 45. The grooved face 45 is adapted to receive the chain 46,and this chain 46 is, in turn, connected at its lower end to the rod 47.Thus it will be seen that upon rocking the shaft 41, the quadrant willcause the chain 46 to move upward, and consequently move the partsattached thereto. The rod 47 is mounted so as to be capable of verticalmove ment in the bars 48 and 49, which are arranged on the upper andlower sides, respectively, of the oil-box 50, and held in place by thevertical tie-rods 51, arranged on each side of the box and operating tohold the bars 48 and 49 rigid. The bar 49 is the lower one, and isextended on the left-hand side so as to make its length about twice thatof the bar 48, a brace 52 being provided and extended from the left-handend of the bar 48, to the corresponding end of the bar 49. By this meansthe rod 47 is mounted in a secure way and allowed a vertical movement inits mountings.

The lower end of the rod 47 is bifurcated, at 53, and has the detenthammer 54 pivoted therein. The hammer 54 is formed with the concavefaces 55 on each side and adapted to engage the arms 21 of the trips 15,while the hammeris held yieldingly in a perpendicular position by meansof the coiled springs 56, which are secured to the hammer at'57 and toeach end of the bar 49.

By reference to the drawings, the Operation of my invention may betraced as follows: To set the appliance the rod 28 and its chain arereleased from-the pin 30, and-the forward end of the arm- 27 drawndownward, whereupon the bag 59 is connected to the hook 33. WVhen thishas been done the rod 28 is drawn down and the eye in its lower endconnected to the rear end of the pin 30, and the eye on its chainconnected to the front end of such pin. This will place the arm at anangle of about forty-five degrees from a perpendicular line,

mer 54 is raised, and this. is assumed when the rod 47 is raised-untilits lower end engages the bar 49, and the rod.47 is given a tendencytothis position by the springs 5.6, as may be understood. Upon raisingthe hook 60 the rod=43, which is connected thereto,.will be oper'ated tooscillate the. shaft 41'and allow the j rod 47 to drop by'sgravity,whichwi'll be followed byasimilarsmovement of the hammer "5:4, throwingit into engagement with the arm -21 of thedetent 1 5.whichlies in thepath of the hammer. hen the detent '15 is operated the lever 11, whichis connected thereto, will be operated to swingon its fulcrum andconsequently disengage the e'ye'29-and pin30. This will be followed by afalling of the bag and arms of the crane, as far as the chain 31 willpermit, and the length'of this chain is so gaged that it will allow thearms of the crane to lie horizontally and in position to permit the bagto be caught by the hook 60, which, it will be remembered, waspreviously raised. As the car passes the crane, the hook is operated totake the bag, and after this has been done, the arms will fallvertically, as usual, the arm 27 being arranged with its rear endheavier than the front end, so as to elfect this operation. In thisposition the parts remain until reset for a second operation. It will beseen that the hooks 33 and 40 operate to hold the bag securely, and topermit it to be easily taken by the car, for the studs 34 support thebag whatever be its weight, while the fingers 35 operate to retain it inplace until overcome by the superior forceof the hook on the car.

I have shown my invention applied to a single track, and when so used itwill be necessary to have two levers 11, and corresponding cords andtrips, so that the crane may be operated by cars coming either way. Whenthe appliance is used on a double track,however,it will be understoodthat but one lever 41, whereupon the chain 46 will be wound over thequadrant 44, and the detent thereby raised. By means of thisconstruction the detent is automatically operated, and this in perfectunison with the movements of the hook 60. This, however, can beaccomplished by a bolt and nut or equivalent device.

It will be understood that the rod 47 and hammer 54 are attended by anormal tendency to drop, owingto their weight, and that this is overcomeby the chain 46 which holds it up, and drops to allow the hammer todescend.

In attaching the bag to the crane it will be more convenient, andtherefore preferable, to connect both arms before the rod 28 is drawndown. This is so, since if the arm 27 was raised with the bag attachedthereto the lower end of the bag would be out of the operators reach. Itwill be understood, however, that both ways may be employed with thesame result. In the use of the mail catcher on railways the hook 60 ischanged or reversed as the direction in which the car is moving changes,and to facilitate connecting the shaft 61 to either end of the hook. 60,the left-hand end may be adapted to fit into the socket 64, astheremaining end is shown in the drawings. This result may also be attainedby duplicating shafts 61 and 43 and arranging the duplicated shafts atthe opposite side of the door so that they may operate with the same endof the hook when it is reversed.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. A crane for supportingmail bags preparatory to catching, and consisting of an arm or jibpivoted to the crane and adapted to have the mail bag attached to oneend, a

chain connected to the remaining end of the arm and having two eyestherein at different points throughout its length, both of which eyesare adapted to removably engage the mast, a lever connected to one eye,and trip mechanism adapted to be operated by a passing car, whereby oneof the eyes of the chain is disengaged and the bag allowed to fall untilstopped by the second eye, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

2. A crane for supporting mail bags preparatory to catching, andconsisting of an arm pivoted to the mast and adapted to have the mailbag attached to one of its arms, a chain connected to the remaining armand having two eyes therein arranged at different points along itslength, a pin passing horizontally through the mast and having its endsprojected beyond each side thereof, the eyes being adapted to engage therespective ends of the pin, a lever pivoted to the mast and connected toone of the eyes of the chain whereby upon operating the lever the eye towhich it is connected is disengaged from the pin and trip mechanismconnected to the lever, and adapted to be operated by a passing car,whereby upon operating the lever one of the eyes is released and the bagallowed to drop until stopped by the second eye, substantially as andfor the purpose described.

3. A device for supporting mail bags pre' paratory to catching, andconsisting of a mast, an arm pivoted thereto and adapted to have the bagconnected to one end thereof, said arm being capable of normally holdingthe bag out of the way of passing trains, and of dropping so as to placethe ba 1- within the reach of said trains, and trip mechanism connectedto the arm and adapted to be engaged by the trains, whereby the arm isoperated, substantially as specified.

4. A crane for supporting mail bags pre' paratory to catching, andconsisting of a mast, an arm pivoted thereto and adapted to have themail-bag attached to one end, a chain connected to the remaining end andhaving two eyes thereon arranged at dififerent points throughout itslength and adapted to engage a stud on the mast, a lever connectedto'one of the eyes, a cord connected to the lever, and trip mechanism onthe track and connected to the cord and adapted to be operated by apassing car, whereby the lever is made to release one of the eyes on thechain and the bag allowed to drop until stopped by the second eye,substantially as specified.

5. A detent adapted to be attached to acar and to operate a triparranged on the track, said detent consisting of a verticallyreciprocating bar, and a hammer section pivoted to the lower end of thebar and a spring located at each side of the hammer and operating tohold the hammer yieldingly in position, the hammer being adapted toengage the trip and effect the operation thereof, substantially asdescribed.

6. Detent mechanism adapted to be applied to a mail car and to operate atrip arranged on the track, said mechanism comprising the combination ofa vertically reciprocating bar, a horizontal shaft connected thereto, amail catching hook, a crank arm on the horizontal shaft, and aconnecting rod pivotally connected to the horizontal shaft and to thehook, whereby the shaft is rocked as the hook is moved and thevertically reciprocating bar moved in its characteristic lines,substantially as described.

'7. Detent mechanism adapted to be applied to a mail car and to operatea trip arranged on the track, said mechanism comprising the combinationof a vertically reciprocating bar, and a mail catching hook pivotallyconnected to the bar, whereby as the hook is rocked the bar is raised orlowered, substantially as described.

8. In a mail crane, the combination of a mast, a collar rigidly mountedoff the mast and loosely embracing the same, whereby the mast is alloweda rotary movement, the said collar having a stud projecting radiallytherefrom, a second collar fixed to the mast and engaging the firstcollar, whereby it is supported, the said second collar having twoinclined arms adapted to lie one on each side of the stud whereby themast is held stationary against ordinary strain and whereby it isallowedto revolve under the influence of undue strain, andbag-supporting arms secured to the mast, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MARTIN J. GROSZ.

Witnesses- M. G. STARR, CASPER ELISON.

